Thursday, July 1, 2010

More Evidence that the Rest of the World Takes Soccer More Serious than the US

After a poor showing in the World Cup, the BBC is reporting that Nigeria's president has suspended the team from international play for two years. This after French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced an investigation into the French team's collapse and failure to make it out of the first round.

In the US, we seem to take greater concern over the logistics of the 'Ultimate Race: Season 6'. DBSF acknowledges that the national uproar over the goal unfairly taken away in the Slovenia game pales in comparison to the country's reaction to American Idol selecting a new judge. But, the US's position on futbol seems to be progressing, and the change is being led from the top.

Although the US is far from the President issuing Executive Orders on soccer affairs, various images of President Obama watching games between meetings showed his enthusiasm for the World Cup. (Grant it he did schedule his meeting to fire Gen. McChrystal during the Algeria game. I mean if you know you're going to fire the guy and he's already taken the 18 hour flight from Kabul what's another two hours?)

In addition, former President Clinton was a great presence in South Africa socializing in the sky box and partying after games with players. (DBSF suspects that Clinton's predilection was not in fact for football but for partying. For the sake of soccer's esteem in the US however, DBSF will assume its the former and not the later.)